Seed or potato planter.



No. 732,731. T PATENTED JULY 7,1903.

0. H. GERLING.

SEED 0R PQ'TATO PLANIER.

APPLICATION FILED mi. 1903. N0 MODEL. r 4 SHEETS-SHEET '1.

PATENTED JULY 7. 1903 0. H. GERLING. SEED 0R POTATO PLANTER.

AliLIOATION FILED MAR. 2. 1903. I

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no MODEL.

W I WW ma Mourns PETERS no vumuu na, wnsumcn'on, u. c.

No. 732,731. PATENTED JULY '7, 1903.. G. H. GERLING. .SEED 0R POTATOPLANTER.

APPLIOATIONJILBD MAR. 2, 1903.

no MODEL. ILSHEETS-SHEET a.

' I lag/ y awwgm wvdz Qan No.-732,731. PATENTED JULY '7, 1903.

C. H. GERLING..

SEED OR POTATO BLANTER. v ABPLIOATION FILED MAR. 2, 1903'. I I N0 MODEL.I 4 SHBETS SHEBT. 4

U'QM I fw I V J 'bg/ w miwwwpldii '35 6 is a plan view of same.

perspective view of a portion of the seedbox UNITED STATES Patented July7, 1963.

PATENT OFFI E.

CHARLES H. GERLING, OF EDWARDSVILLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GERLINGMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF RATION OF ILLINOIS.

v EDWARDSVILLE, ILLINOIS, A CORPO- SEED OR POTATO PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters fatent No. 732,731, dated July 7,1903.

Application filed March 2, 1903. Serial No. 145,858. .(No model.)

.To ctZZ whom it mayconccrn:

' Be it known that I, CHARLES H. GERLINGQ a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Edwardsville, county of Madison, State of Illi- 5nois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed orPotato Planters, of which the following is a specification containing afull, clear, and exact description, reference' being bad to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to an improved seed and potato planter; and itconsists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement ofparts hereinafter described and I claimed.

The object of my invention is to provide a seed and potato planter withrunners for opening the furrows, disks for closing the same, an improvedmechanism for handling the seed more rapidly and accurately thanheretofore, means for imparting continuous I rotary movement to the saidseed mechanism, and a hand-lever for simultaneously controlling themovement of the saidseed mechanism and raising and lowering the saidrunners and disks. Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of my improvedseed and potato planter with the axle sectioned and the near drive-wheelremoved. Fig. 2 isa plan view. Fig. 3 is a sectional front elevation onthe line 3 3 ofFig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the seedbox having the hopper removed. Fig. 5is a detail side view of one of the vertical'seed-wheels.

Fig. 7 is a detailed and one seed-wheel. Fig. 8 is a perspective View ofthe clutch-operating mechanism.

1 indicates the frame, which is mounted upon the revoluble axle 2,carried by the drive-wheels 3, I providezfurrow-opening runners 4 andseed covering disks 5. The drivers seat 6 is mounted upon the rear ofthe frame 1, and pivotally mounted upon said axle, at the right hand ofsaid seat, is a handlever 7 for the purpose of raising and lowering therunners 6 and disks 5, which are located uponthe right-hand side of themachine. The runners and disks upon the lefthand side of the machinemay-be connected upon both sides of the machine. ent case I have showna-hand-lever for each means of a bolt or rivet 16. ,draft-rods for thesaid disks, and the front 85 end of 'these rods is pivotally connectedat 18 to the rear of the runner4 immediately in Fig.

in-the usual manner, so that a single lever will raise and lower therunners and disks In the pres side of the machine. The hand-levers 7 are'55 provided at their lower ends with an arm 8, which extends at anangle to the body of the levers, and said arm is pivotally connectedtothe rear end of the adjacent runner 4.

Said arm 8 is connected to one of the forks of its runner, and thecompanion fork has alink 9 pivotally connected to its rear'end and tothe axle, as more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 8. The same constructionis carried out upon the left-hand side of the machine. Said handlevers 7are preferably provided with the usual notched sector 10, thespring-actuated dog 11, and handle 12, by means of which said levers maybe secured in any desired position to elevate the runners more or less.

The forward ends of the runners 4 are provided with an arm 13, whichextends at an angle and is adapted to loosely slide within a suitableguiding loop or bar 14, projecting from the forward part of the frame inaline- .ment with said arm. The opening in said bar is sufficientlylarge to permit said arm to assume various angles'therei'n.

The disks 5 are mounted in pairs at an anglein the usual manner and areswung from .the rear end of the frame by means of a fork 15, the upperend of which is pivotally attached to the rear portion of the frame by17 indicates front. I As, shown, I make useof a separate draft-rod foreach disk.

The seed-hopper 19 is divided ce'ntrallyby 0 v a partition 20 and isremovablymounted above the seedbox 21. Said seedbox is also dividedcentrally of its length bymeans of vertical partitions 22, so that itsbottom 23 I inclines downwardlyandoutwardlyfromsaid partitions. Mountedin the seedbox is a shaft 24, which has fixed upon it above eachinclined portion of the bottom 23 a'stirring' disk 25. Said disk ismounted at an angle,

so that it will wabble when said shaft is-reloo 7 volved. As shown,there is a stirring-disk for each section of the seedbox. Hung looselyupon the said shaft 24, adjacent the stirring-disk in each section oftheseedbox, is a plate 26, arranged to act as a cut-off to cut off thefeed when the seed-plates are overfed. Fixed upon said shaft 24 in eachsection of the seed box is a vertical seed-wheel 27, having in itsperiphery a series of hinged pockets 28. Each of said pockets has ahinge 29 at its base and by means of which the same is secured to theseed-wheel. (See Figs. 5 and 6.) Said pockets are adapted to movelaterally from their normal position in one direction only and are fixedagainst movement in the opposite direction by means of flanges 30 upontheir edges, which contact with the body of the wheel. The seed-wheel 27is preferably made of cast metal and is provided withradialstrengthening-ribs 31. The pockets project from one side of theseed-wheel, and an inclined projection 32 is formed upon the oppositeside of each pocket. The pockets 28 are adapted to discharge theircontents into an adjacent receptacle 33, having a hopper-shaped bottom34, which terminates in the usual seed-spout 35. 36 indicates a verticalguard arranged upon the said receptacle 33 opposite the point where thepockets discharge to prevent the seed from being thrown over the top ofsaid receptacle.

The pockets 28 are tilted laterally and discharged by a roller 37,yieldingly mounted upon a spring-bracket 38 and projecting into thenormal path of said pockets. Said bracket 38 is secured to the side ofthe hopper 19, preferably at a point directly above the shaft 24. Itwill be observedthat said bracket 38 is composed of wire, with one ormore coils or twists 39 formed in the same to impart increasedresiliency. Motion is imparted to the said shaft 24 by means of asprocket-wheel 40, fixed thereon centrally of the length thereofimmediately beneath the hopper-partition 20, and suitable guards 41extend downwardly from said partition on either side of saidsprocket-wheel to prevent the seed from reaching said wheel. (See Fig.3.)

Loosely mounted on the axle 2, centrally of the length thereof, is asprocket-wheel 42,hav-

ing a clutch-hub 43, and connecting the said sprocket-wheels and 42 is achain 44. indicates a clutch member splined upon the said axle 2 bymeans of the key 46. Said clutch member is provided with teeth to engagethe hub 43 of the sprocket-wheel 42. The clutch member 45 is operated bymeans of a lever 47, pivoted at 48 to the said member 45 and havingitsforward end fulcrumed to a bracket 49, secured in a suitable manner tosome part of the frame. Movement is imparted to the said lever 47 bymeans of a link 50, pivotally secured to the rearend of said lever inconnection with an inclined bar 51, the upper end of which is pivoted tothe frame at 52 and the lower end of which is slotted at 53 andpivotally connected to the said link 50. The clutch member 45 isnormally held in engagement with the hub 43 by means of a spring 54,fixed at its upper end to the frame 1, so that its lower end bearsagainst the under edge of the said inclined bar 51. Said inclined bar islocated directly beneath the hand-lever 7 at the right hand of thedrivers seat.

55 indicates an inclined surface located on the upper edge of the innerwall of the seedreceptacles 33 for the purpose hereinafter mentioned.

The operation is as follows: The machine is to be moved forward in theusual manner by animals or other power, and as the axle 2 revolvesmotion will be im parted to the sprocketchain 44 and through it to theshaft 24. The driver should then grasp the hand-levers 7 and lower therunners 4 and the disks 5 so that said runners will open the furrows,and said disks will close the same after the seed has been droppedtherein. The normal position of the right-hand hand-lever 7 duringoperation is that in which it is shown in Fig. 8. The seed within thehopper 19 and the seedbox 21 will gravitate downwardly therein onaccount of the inclined bottom 23 and will urge the cut-off plates 26toward their res pective seed-wheels, which will provide a sufficientspace beneath the lower edge of said plates for the passage oftheseed-potatoes to the pockets 28 of the said seed-wheels. The saidseed-wheels will of course be rotated in the same direction that thedrive-wheels 31'0- tate, and the seed will enter the said pockets 28while the same are moving within the seedboX, and the seed will therebybe carried upwardly within said pockets until the pockets reach thelimit of their upward movement, when said pockets consecutively come incontact with the yielding roller 37 and will thereby be tilted laterallyand downwardly to the position indicated in Fig. 7, and as the movementof the seed-wheels continues the pockets which have been thus tilted arcconsecutively brought into contact with the incline 55 and are therebyrestored to their normal position and retained therein by means of theirflanges 30 and inclined projections 32. Should a surplus of seed reachthe seed wheels, the same will be forced against the cut-off plates 26by the action of the seed-wheels, and the lower edges of said cut-offplates will be urged toward the inclined bottom 23 of the seedbox,thereby closing the space between said bottom and said plates andcutting off the supply of potatoes to the seed-wheels until the surplushas been disposed oif, when the said cut-off plates will again open thepassage beneath them and permit other seed to pass to the seed-wheels.The stirring-disks 25 in the seedboxes will wabble continuously, andthereby etfectually stir the potatoes and prevent clogging and yet notinjure the potatoes in any way.

hen the operator desires to cease using the machine, he grasps thehand-levers 7 and draws them toward himself until they assume theposition in which they are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and which will therebyelevate above the ground the runners 4 and disks 5. Such movement of theright-hand hand-lever will clutch member 45 from the clutch-hub 43 andwill release said hub, and consequently stop the movement of the seedmechanism.

I claim- 1. An improved seed and potato planter, comprising a suitableseedbox, a vertical seedwheel having at its periphery laterally-hingedpockets and mounted adjacent to said seedbox, and means for continuouslyrotating said seed-wheel to take the seed from said box, elevate thesame and throw it laterally into a seed-receptacle, substantially asspecified.

2. An improved seed and potato planter, comprising a suitable seedbox, avertical seedwheel having pockets and mounted adjacent to said seedbox,said seedbox having an inclined bottom, and a plate arranged toautomatically hold back the supply of seed from said seed-wheel when thelatter is overloaded, and means for continuously rotating saidseed-whee1 to take the seed from said box, elevate the same and throwitlaterallyinto a seed-receptacle, substantially as specified.

3. An improved seed and potato planter, comprisinga suitable seedbox, avertical seedwheel having at its periphery laterally-hinged pockets andmounted adjacent to said seedbox, said pockets being hinged to the saidseed-wheel, and means for continuously rotating said seed-wheel to takethe seed from said box, elevate the same and throw it laterally into aseed-receptacle, substantially as specified.

4. An improved seed and potato planter, comprising a suitable seedbox, avertical seedwheel having pockets and mounted adjacent to said seedbox,said pockets being hinged to said wheel and adapted to tilt laterally, ashaft on which said wheel is fixed, a sprocketwheel on said shaft, thedrive-wheels, the drive-wheel axle, a sprocket-wheel on said axle, achain connecting said two sprocketwheels, a clutch for disconnecting oneof said sprocket-wheels, and means for continuously rotating saidseed-wheel to take the seed from said box, elevate the same and throw itlaterally into a seed-receptacle, substantially as specified.

5. An improved seed and potato planter, com prising asuitable seedbox, avertical seedwheel having pockets and mounted adjacent to said seedbox,said pockets being hinged to said wheel and adaptedto tilt laterally, a

shaft on which said wheel is fixed, a sprocketwheel on said shaft, thedrive-wheels, the drive-wheel axle, a sprocket-wheel on said axle, achain connecting said two sprocketwheels, a clutch for disconnecting oneof said sprocket-wheels, a stirring-disk fixed on said shaft to wabbleand stir the seed, a plate arranged between said stirring-disk andsaidseed-wheel to hold back the supply of seed,

and means for continuously rotating said seed-wheel to take the seedfrom said box, elevate the same and throw it laterally into aseed-receptacle, substantially as specified.

6. An improved seed and potato planter,

comprising a suitable seed box, a vertical seedwheel having pockets andmounted adjacent to said seedbox, said pockets beinghinged to said wheeland adapted to tilt laterally, a shaft on which said wheel is fixed, asprocketwheel on said shaft, the drive-wheels, the drive-wheel axle, asprocket-wheel onsaid axle, a chain connecting said two sprocketwheels,a clutch for disconnecting one of said sprocket-wheels, a stirring-diskfixed on said shaft to wabble and stir the seed, a plate arrangedbetween said stirring-disk and said seed-wheel to hold back the supplyof seed, furrow opening and closing devices, a suitable hand-leverarranged to simultaneously operate said clutch and raise or lower thesaid furrow opening and closing devices, and means for continuouslyrotating said seedwheel to take the seed from said box, elevate the sameand throw it laterally into a seedreceptacle, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to thisspecification inpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES H. GERLING Witnesses: p o

O. N. TERRY, FRANCES E.'BRoWN.

